Articles By Alec Italiano

41. USDA Draws Up Organic Label Guidelines 1/3/2014

    Consumers will know how natural their food is through four new divisions of organic products. In response to debates about product labeling in organic food, the USDA has laid out guidelines for food manufacturers that will allow consumers to know exactly how organic their food products are. The USDA has broken organic food products into four categories — 100 Percent Organic, Organic, Made With Organic, and Specific Organic Ingredients.

42. The Great GMO Labeling Debate 1/2/2014

    In a rapidly growing organic market, labeling is the big issue for consumers and manufacturers. Organic food has gone from a niche in the food manufacturing market to an industry of its own. As Food Online’s Sam Lewis points out, the organic food and beverage market was worth $70.7 billion dollars in 2012 and is expected to reach $187.8 billion by 2019. Marketing departments at many food manufacturers have responded to the significant growth projection by making products appear to be as organic as possible. This resulted in an intense food labeling battle between politicians, activists, and food processing companies.

43. “Gluten-Free” To Become A Regulated Term 1/2/2014

    FALCPA law will require FDA approved food to have appropriate label by August 2014. For people on a gluten-free diet, going to the grocery store will become a lot easier after Aug. 5, 2014 when food manufacturers will be required to label products that are gluten-free. This decision came from the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) passed in 2006.

44. High Pressure Processing Will Gain Tremendous Popularity In Coming Years 12/19/2013

    Technology expanding perishable food shelf-life has CAGR of 24 percent by 2018. High Pressure Processing (HPP) is a technology used by food and beverage processors which eliminates microbes in food products through the use of high pressure. The process allows manufacturers to extend the shelf-life of foods with high-water content, like meat products, fruits, vegetables, juices, and certain dairy products.

45. Packaging Conference Takes Aim At Sustainability 12/19/2013

    The PMMI Possibilities in Packaging Innovation at FMI Connect 2014 will bring food packaging buyers and suppliers together in hopes of creating solutions to the industry’s most important issues. International Paper will be sponsoring a special portion of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Connect 2014 conference scheduled for June 11 and 12 in Chicago. The PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies) Possibilities in Packaging Innovation Pavilion will be held during the conference and focus on solutions for future retail packaging.

46. What Trends Will Drive Food Packaging In 2014? 12/18/2013

    Consumers are looking for environmentally-friendly packaging in the products of tomorrow. Innovations and trends in food packaging have been around as long as food has been packaged. Manufacturers are always looking for a new way to make products visually appealing, sustainable, and cost effective. However, some of the biggest innovations may lie ahead in 2014.

47. NYC's Mayor Bloomberg Declares War On “Dirty Foam” 12/17/2013

    Potential ban on Styrofoam packaging has suppliers pitching an alternative plan. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg may soon be passing the torch to incumbent mayor Bill de Blasio, but he just might have the energy for one last reform before his time is through. Bloomberg’s mission: ban expanded polystyrene (EPS) containers in the city because of its burden on the environment.

48. H2M Beverages' 989 OnDemand Bottles Both Innovation and Sustainability 12/17/2013

    Forward-thinking design offers new options to enhanced-water products

    Bottling technology has made leaps and bounds in terms of progress toward creating products that simultaneously stay fresh longer and are aesthetically pleasing.  Pompton Lake, NJ-based H2M Beverages is using cutting edge design to incorporate a bottle cap which acts as reservoir for active ingredients.

49. Digitizing The Supply Chain 12/10/2013

    In an effort to improve traceability, food retailers pressure suppliers to switch to digital records. Paper recordkeeping is becoming a thing of the past with the advent of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and mobile devices. These items are revolutionizing the way to track food from the farm to the store. While this technology has many advantages — time savings, automation, improved bookkeeping, to name a few — the most important benefit of digitally tracing food products is having the ability to quickly and accurately identify where in the supply chain a product became contaminated in the event of a recall.

50. Chile's Largest Brewer Upgrades Bottling Equipment 12/10/2013

    CCU Chile purchases Sidel Matrix hotfill system to bottle Gatorade. Chile’s largest brewer, CCU Chile, has upgraded its equipment to accommodate the packaging of Gatorade products. The brewer, which works with companies like Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB In-Bev), Pepsico, and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, purchased a hotfill production line specifically for Gatorade sports drinks, in addition to adding options for bottling pulp-based products in the future with the Sidel Matrix Hot Filler.